We only have two more sermons left in our Theology Matters series. This week we focus on Heaven (and the eternal state of God's people), and next week is on hell. I'm encouraging our people to pick up The Bible and the Future by Anthony Hoekema. With all the nutty theories, crazy books and worse movies out there The Bible and the Future is a must have for those who want to begin developing a robust theology of the culmination of the history of redemption.
I know, you may not even be interested. It's all so vague, mysterious, and everyone seems to have a different opinion of how things will shake out in the end - how can we be sure? And does it even matter? Really? Well, as a matter of fact - it does. Yes, really.

Throughout Scripture God is always telling his people to look forward, to what is to come; to look ahead to the fulfillment of his promises to us, his people. As Hoekema says early on, "Properly to understand biblical eschatology, we must see it as an integral aspect of all of biblical revelation. Eschatology must not be thought of as something which is found only in, say, such Bible books as Daniel and Revelation, but as dominating and permeating the entire message of the Bible." In short, if you are negligent in developing a biblical eschatology, you will have a deficiency in your faith that will have an impact on your walk with Jesus.

I picked up this book 12 years ago while a student at Moody. Hoekema cut through a lot of the nonsense I was reading in other books and delivered a truly biblical treatment of the subject that I am still grateful for. It's a must read; a great entry to an often neglected or abused theological discipline.